He gave up drink in the mid-1960s by "taking up the cross," he said about his relationship with Jesus Christ. In 1966, Goulette came to Hartford, where he worked as a counselor supervisor for the South Green office of the Community Renewal Team of Greater Hartford, a social service agency. He later worked at the National Rehabilitation Center on Albany Avenue and the Brotherhood Alcohol Treatment Center in Hartford -- both which no longer exist. He then took a job as director of the Friendship Center, a counseling and drop-in center run by Center City Churches Inc.

When Goulette took the job at the mission, he wanted to make people feel comfortable and at home -- whether it was the new paint on the walls or the plants in the windows.

"I think the theme of The Open Hearth is `Everybody is Somebody,' " he said.

A night there then cost 50 cents, while now it's $13. The annual budget in 1977 was $138,000 and he was the only staff member. In 1992, there are 12 full-time staff members and four part-time employees, with an $872,000 annual budget.

A large part of the income comes from the sale of firewood by residents. In 1992, the board expects to reap about $275,000 from firewood.

The Open Hearth Mission is the granddaddy of the emergency shelter system -- with its origin dating from the early 1880s, when a group of seminarians from Christ Church Cathedral wanted to help homeless men.

They established a small mission in downtown Hartford, and eventually they moved into the red-brick building on Sheldon Street that was built in 1927.

Goulette just helped lead a successful fund drive to build a new $5.1 million four-story building that soon will house 104 men.

Sometimes, however, homeless men have shunned The Open Hearth and its requirement that each resident work and its ban on alcohol and drugs. Homeless men often opted for shelters that are more flexible, such as the popular Immaculate Conception Shelter -- often referred to as the "Last Resort Hotel."

Goulette said the men can be smart: "If he can get a bed, clothing, socks, Christmas present for free, why ... should he go anywhere else?"

The Open Hearth insists that all residents work -- whether it's cutting firewood or preparing meals.

Goulette and McNichol both said, however, that the ranks of homeless men are decreasing in Hartford and the state. Goulette attributes this to an increase in available housing, including transitional housing services such as South Park Inn and St. Elizabeth's House.

But Goulette thinks there will always be a need for The Open Hearth because some men will never want the responsibility of feeding and cooking for themselves.

Goulette, who lives in East Hartford, said he'll be dropping by after he retires.